The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-06-01
SHIRLEY CARSTONE.
By ELIZA ARCHARD.
CONTINUED
CONTINUED
CHAPTER xxIIL

CONE
| And Shirley Wen, at last something hap
| pened to Shirley.
She had given over looking for anything
new in her existence. Once she had dreamed
| that change might come but that was long
| since. She had CEASED to think about it, She
set her face forward. and drifted on with the
tide of years. So far as existing for herself
went her life was a steady repression
The children were nearly all Off her hands
| now.
They're a credit to you. Shirley said our
| old friend, Mis- Simpkins- They've all done
| splendid
Tom, the laundering brother. came home
| for the family reunion at Christmas. 1t was
| the first time he had set foot in the stone
| house since he left it at the age of -, being
| at that time under bit of cloud But Tom
had redeemed himself nobly. He had gone
| TO work with will, and the good that was
in him came upperrnost.
Tom affected wild western ways trenen-
| dously. He wore big beard and a slouched
hat. He said the east crowded him up, and
he longed to get back to the plains and the
mountains, where he had room to breathe
and turn around. He was fond of leaning
| up against something, resting upon one leg,
with his hat on and his hands in his pockets,
| chewing tobacco the while and talking gor-
geoUsly about the west. Tom had got a
nasty habit of chewing tobacco after he went
away And he talked of my partner and
was fond of emphasizing his language with
words not found in the dictionary. He
could not speak his mind in ordinary English.
Ie was not emphatic enough for him.
He wouldn't live in the east if they'd give
him whole state, quotha. People here were
too picayunish for him. He told tales of buff
falo and Indian that made the Linwood chill
dren's hair stand on end.
Life had thriven handsomely with Tom He
came back to them big western man, with
certain dignity of his own that became him
well. He came, too, with the title that his
father had given him in sport in boyhood
tackled to his name in earnest. Tom was a
sure enough governor now, governor of the
young territory wherein he had cast his for
tunes twelve years before. Oh, yes, Tom
was a brother to be proud of.
The brother and sister wandered about the
old home together, talking of the changes in
the village and of the family fortunes.
"You look little pale, Shirley. Come to
think, what a nose and grindstone business
your life has been"
81 haven't had fun enough to spoil me,
that's a fact
ats a shame, Shirley, how you have
worked for US all. never thought of it be
fore"
"Yes," said Shirley. Al never saved myself
any,"
"But it must be satisfaction to you to
think bow well all of us boys turned OUT
continued Tom, with little pardonable pride.
There's every one of us now a credit 10 his
family and his country. We're all little
past common, if do say it myself. And I'm
absolutely certain that some of us will be dis
tinguished men before We die"
"Yesl hope So"
"And." continued Tom, with smack of
self complacency, sit must be q pride and
comfort TO a woman to know that she has
sacrificed her life to bring up good men, who
take prominent places in the world"
But there was no complacency, on the con-
trary there was bitterness, in Shirley's voice
as she answered:
"Yes, that's like a man. A woman is always
to be the ladder for great men to climb up by.
How would you like such life of self sacri-
fee for yourself. Tomf"
"I-oh well-that's different"
as it," said Shirley.
They gathered in one by one, the Carstone
children, now the Carstone men and women.
Alice had prepared a surprise for the Christ
mas. This youngest child of Shirley's care
had shown the not uncommon artistic taste of
the girl of the period. As she grew older
this taste deepened into genuine talent, ac-
| companied by that which is uncommon in the
girl of the period-a sincere resolve to make
| something of it.
Alice did not copy plaques" from chromos.
She was abroad for three years studying
| earnestly, in Rome in Paris, Munich and
| Dresden. She had come home for good now,
and was to have her studio in F.. She was
the last of the children to be educated and
provided for.
Now Shirley was to be free at last. The
| young birds had flown and gone their ways.
There were none left in the nest but Shirley
and her mother.
The first use Alice made of her ripened tai
| ent and perfected skill was TO paint portrait
of Shirley The hand of the loving sister
produced better than any other could have
done the noble, beautiful face. This was the
surprise Alice was preparing for them all.
| The picture was to be done and unveiled be-
fore them all on Christmas day. Alice her
self had devised marvellous draping for the
| figure, half fanciful, and wholly pagan, that
| gave vivid effect to the head and face. 1t
was a striking picture. Alice worked on it
| with enthusiasm. Ones own family are his
severest critics With pardonable pride,
| Alice wished the Carstones to see that she
had not been wasting her time.
Yet with all her labors, all her enthusi-
asrn, she could not make the portrait satisfy
her. She painted partly from photograph,
| partly from Shirley herself, who sat for the
| picture now and then.
| All she could do, there remained in the eyes
| of the picture an unfathomable depth Of mel
| ancholy 1t was SO marked as to be start
| ling 1t was the first expression observed and
| criticised by tho few friends who saw the
| pictured face.
at looks too sorrowful for Shirley" they
said, one and all.
| Alice tried to paint it out-changed it over
| and over again-but in vain.
| The trouble seemed to be with ShirIey's
| face in repose. Few persons had ever seen
her when she was not occupied at something.
| But the moment she was quiet the strange.
| sad look came into her face. 1t haunted all
her photographs There a weirdness in
| it like the shadow of fate, or like the sur
| vival of remorse for awful deeds done by
| bloody handed ancestors centuries agone At
any rate it was there, and would not be paint
| ed out
"You've got the woebegonest look in this
| picture" said Alice. ait isn't bit like you !;
| but somehow it's in the photograph, too. Do
what / will, can't get it out 1t vexes me
| So"
Il don't know why it is" replied Shirley.
am sure I'm a jolly person at heart"
|